New Yorker

Emil even though he didn't win a lot brought an excitement to the gp's that seems to be missing for me anyway. A true sportsman and a gentleman. The series also needs Laguta for his riding abilities alone. Just not the same without them.

My SON experience started last winter shortly after the tickets in Manchester went on sale. Being my first live Speedway race and also my first trip to Europe I bought the best grandstand tickets for myself and my SO (significant other) (after seventy what do you call each other in the UK?) Then the air fare, hotel room in Manchester, plans to rent a car after the races and see (practice) if we could drive on the left without incidence. We were going to head North and go along the coast into Scotland then explore our way back down to London to fly back home. Needless to say we were both very excited! Then along came the Covid and we just had to have a wait and see. Well we had our SON yesterday at 1:00 PM and as everyone has said it wasn't ideal......BUT that race with Emil getting pushed wide one second and passing Doylie up against the wall next second will always be my only memory of the race. I hate to agree with KeirStarmerFan BUT I would like to know who else could've pulled that off! So my Speedway experience and my trip to your country didn't turn out the way that I had hoped but that's the way life is, isn't it? I've been a Speedway fan for about 8 years now and that heat was one of the most exciting i can remember and I'm happy with that!

Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is why the U.S. looks like a third world country when it comes to our covid 19 deaths which were mostly caused by poor, excuse me, no leadership from our president.

My mate and I are a couple of Yanks HUGHLY looking forward to coming to your great country with grandstand tickets to the SON in May. I haven't seen or heard any comments on the meet being possibly called off and wondering if anyone has. Also planning on renting a car and traveling from Manchester Northward and eventually ending up back in London (hopefully a pro in left hand lane driving). My first live speedway race!

Thanks everyone for the help!! I did book some grandstand tickets this morning and now will have to book a hotel with the help of your info.....Thanks again! Is there any place that people on this forum hang out. It would be fun to put a face on a few of these names.

I'm not going to miss this. Will be my first speedway race after being a devoted fan on youtube etc. for the last seven years. Also my first trip to Europe. I would appreciate any advice on where to sit (going that far for a race I'm not going to worry about cost of seating) and hotel accommodations. Transportation etc. Really very excited about this! Looking forward to any recommendations.

Am I the only one that thinks the meeting was really not that bad. It almost seems that the quality of the racing is worse (on this site) the lower the British riders finish. If Lambert or Thai won in Cardiff I have a feeling there wouldn't be as much negativity about the racing. And as far as the GP purists who don't want anyone getting into the GP by a wild card imagine this GP season without Emil or Madsen. I really thought that there was a lot of close racing and not a ton of passes but they were there. Picture a speedway race with Boris Johnson and Donald Trump with no air fence........let's lighten up over there!

I've had my eyes on Madsen for the last few years and we all have seen him beating these same GP riders in the leagues. So why did most of us think, including myself, that he wouldn't be doing this well in the series? Also, has anyone seen anything like Freddies move to miss Dudek? An amazing reaction in a split second.....could have been nasty!

I thought Zmarzlik was a little beyond "hard riding" with Madson in their semi-final #2 in Warsaw and Madsen still came back and beat him to get into the final. Anyone that doughts Madsens riding ability should review that race. I have always been a fan of Zmarzlik but am I the only one who thinks he's riding a little too hard and at times out of control?

I agree with you Ove. Very happy for Kolojei and to finally see him get some recognition as a good solid rider. He seems like a rider who just goes about his business without a lot of talk and just gets the job done. A very good sport who interviews well. Once I saw him pass someone and unintentionally bump them on the way by so he turned around and gave them a "sorry about that" wave and went on. When it comes to Madsen he definitely is a good gater but I really don't think that he is getting proper credit for his consistency so far this season. In a pre-race interview, he mentioned getting the right setup early in the event. The importance of a good team who can communicate with the rider and a rider who can relay his thoughts to the team to "get the right setup early" really shows up at this level of Speedway. Has there been any discussion or mention of how much thinner some riders look this year? Madsen and Janowski are the first two who come to mind but there have been others I've noticed.

The second semifinal might have been the race of the night. It's at 33.00 and I think Leon might have had the ride of the night.....worth a re-look.

Thanks! I'll have a look after work.

Madson said in his podium interview that he was sorting out the setup all evening and I would have to say that he had it pretty well sorted in the final. Would anyone argue after watching the replay that he didn't have the fastest bike in the final and IMO would have passed Freddie on the outside run in the next lap or two? Give the guy a little credit, he won by nearly a half a straightaway, Unfortunately, that's the only race I've seen as a Youtube viewer and am looking forward to seeing the whole thing. Also, hats off to Iverson, glad to see him back up there.

Maybe they should run all the GPs on that track.

In the last few years I have been a fan of both Leon Madsen and Janus Kolodziej and all of a sudden both are in the GP. In my opinion they are two very interesting riders for very different reasons. And of course when they are on can be very dominating. I would be interested in any comments about either rider and also what position they will finish at the end of the season. For myself I have not looked at any league stats and I'm just thinking about who they will be racing against sooooooo.......I will predict Madsen finishing in 6th and Kolodziej (I finally learned how to spell his name) coming in 8th. I know Leon didn't qualify through the "proper channels" but IMO Emil has been a good addition and hopefully Leon will also contribute some excitement into the upcoming season.

Hey Steve. Have you ever heard of Otto Walker? Just watched a very interesting video on YouTube.....board racing....had never heard of it.

Has anyone heard how Andreas Johnson is doing? I think both Lebedev and Huchenbeck were both shaken up more than they let on and were very lucky to "walk away" . Not sure if either one should have raced that soon after. Did anyone notice that it appeared that Lebedev might have had only one bike there as they were working on it like there was no other?

Hi Simonh, It's hard to know how and why we pick our favorites but Leon has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. I'm sure that your son's meeting with Leon will be a memorable experience......for you as well. If the SGP really wants the best riders in the world I say give him a wild card. He is repeatedly beating the "best in the world" now and I think he would bring a lot to the series. Would love to see him win the SEC!!

As much as we don't like it, in any event there are voices of authority. In speedway we have the referee who rotate here and there, the race director in Phil Morris (who i think does a great job), and the start Marshall who along with the referee is in CHARGE of the starts. Even though the clock had run down if Tai had moved towards the tape AS SOON AS the start Marshall motioned him forward IMO he would not have been excluded.

Hi Dean, I mentioned in an earlier post that when young riders are starting out it is probably drilled into them to be at the tape ready to race at the two minute clock. Am I wrong? I have no experience in an up close setting but know that you would have the answer. As some said in an earlier post....why give the referee the chance to exclude you. Maybe the start Marshall was being a jerk but if he calls you to the tape there's really no reason not to obey him. It's a little foolish how riders will tinker and tweet and tune their bikes and then not pay attention to the basics which can and did cost them. I've run a business since 1971 and believe me it's the small details that come back and bite you OR make you successful.

If it's been addressed I didn't see it but can anyone tell me where the rider is supposed be when the two minute clock hits zero.....according to the rule book. From what I've seen if a rider is late coming out of the pits and he isn't at the tape when the two minutes expires he's gone. Tai was at the tape then backed up and if you watch the replay he still had his bike tipped cooling his clutch and didn't even have it upright when when the clock said zero. Sure it was a harsh penalty but I have a feeling that one thing that's drummed into a young rider's head is to be at the tape before the two minute clock runs out. On our Interstate highway system here in the states they give you at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. BUT if a cop stops you and gives you a ticket for eight MPH over are you going to tell him that you always give me 10 over?

Has anyone ever heard of a sport with two different starters or in this case a tape which is the start but wait it might not be the start. What an embarrassment for the sport to have Dudek's start brought back. My proposal. Have a set light about five? Seconds before the green and everyone is ready and SET WITH NO MOVEMENT except looking right or left as they do. The next movement will be the riders dropping the clutch for THEIR start. If they don't hit the tape and they are ten feet ahead they just made s hellofagood start. Of course if they hit the tape they are gone. As for these rolling starts that don't always get called that would fall under movement after you are set and your points are taken away after the race with no stoppage UNLESS you draw someone else into the tape. The key is no movement after the set light comes on and keep the referee out of it except to police movement. If a person moves before he drops the clutch another rider who is drawn off and breaks the tape should not be penalized. In real time it's hard to impossible for a person to judge the millisecond between a rider starting and the tape going up.

One of the best races I've ever seen! When I show what Speedway is to someone I always try and dig out that one. Tell me if I'm wrong but isn't that guy in the black monster shirt Woffies pre steroid mechanic? Speaking of which isn't one of the two big guys missing. I was thinking that they have to work in a pair......in torqueing a bolt to just 15# one of them would be tightening and the other one holding him back.